The Boys Are Back in Town
by CatsBalletHarveySpecter
Summary: With Mike back in town, Harvey plans a boys night with him and Louis where they discuss family, marriage and how Mike convinced Harvey to hire him. Harvey has a hard time focusing on boys night as his mind keeps wandering to a certain red head.


The final table read started today, they're filming the penultimate episode and this fandom is in need of some happy. I'm so grateful to get to go on this little journey with you wonderful people and I hope this brings some smiles about!

This was an idea that popped into my head while writing Girl Talk, because I see a lot of ideas involving Donna, Samantha and Katrina having a girls night and I would love to see a boys night. Forgive my mistakes I only sat down to write this today as I've been working on my AU but I figured I'd try and bring a little sunshine to a cloudy day!

Happy Reading! xx - Sarah

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**The Boys Are Back in Town**

Mike had been back in town for less than 24 hours and Harvey was already dreading the day he'd be leaving for his life back in Seattle. Sure, the kid was here to take a case against him, but having him back in the city brought a sense of familiarity Harvey had long since craved. It was no secret he missed having Mike around, his right-hand man, the Clark Kent to his Superman (not that he would ever let Donna hear him refer to Mike as Clark Kent after she'd claimed stake on Lois Lane). After his surprise arrival the day prior, he and Donna invited Mike over for dinner where they learned all about how he and Rachel were doing at the new firm, and that they were trying for a baby; a fact Rachel had already let slip to Donna over the phone a few weeks back. Unfortunately, Rachel couldn't get out of her commitments at the firm, so Mike made the trip to the city solo, but he alone was enough to remind the couple just how much they missed their friends.

Despite having been gone for so long, having Mike at dinner it felt like nothing had changed. The dynamic mirrored that from the day Donna let him into that interview and Harvey knew he'd met his match. Conversation flowed freely, inside jokes were told and to make things even better, Mike had a field day teasing his friends about their new relationship; a relationship he was happy to remind them that he supported since the beginning. He asked Donna how she finally convinced Harvey to get his head out of his ass and man up and admit his feelings, to which she told him she had nothing to do with it, Harvey came to the realization all on his own.

Harvey proceeded to tell Mike just what led him to show up at Donna's door that day, and while sarcastically inserting a round of _ohs _and_ ahs, _Mike couldn't help but be happy for the pair. In all the years he'd known Harvey, he'd never seen the man look so smitten. In Mike's eyes, Harvey had come a long way. The man who once told him feelings were a waste of time was now hanging on every word his girlfriend said while she filled Mike in on the Faye Richardson drama at the firm, and if that wasn't progress, he didn't know what was.

He supposes his friends new found maturity could be a result of all his firm had been through, but he suspects it had a lot more to do with the red-head seated next to him, holding his hand beneath the table where he assumed they thought he couldn't see. It was almost surreal to see them together, finishing each other's sentences, moving around each other like this was something they'd always done, and in the weirdest sense Mike supposed they had always done it. They'd always been this inseparable pair, a united front, and he was thrilled they could finally reveal in it all, enjoying the adoration they shared for one another without any boundaries.

He knew there was an unspoken connection between them when Harvey hired him all those years ago, and when Rachel confirmed his suspicions after telling him they'd crossed a line in the past, he knew it was only a matter of time. After the stolen glances and semi-heartfelt confessions, he never would have imagined it would have taken them this long, but they'd finally figured it out, and that was all that mattered.

Thanking his friends for dinner Mike pulls Donna in for a hug and whispers that he's so glad her and Harvey finally realized not only did they want to be together, but they belonged together.

Saying a final goodnight, Harvey pulls Donna into his side while shutting the door, placing a soft kiss into her hair.

"You missed him" she states rather than questions.

"I miss them both" he replies, leading her back towards the kitchen, arm still wrapped around her waist.

"You know what you should do? Before Mike leaves you should have a boy's night, catch up just like old times" she smiles, squirming out of his hold and moving to place the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Have I ever told you that you're a genius?" he flirts, coming up behind her and placing a hand on each side of her waist while she scrubs at a plate.

"Only every day" she grins, leaning her head back to catch his lips in a kiss over her shoulder, his arms encompassing her waist as she leans back into him.

"You should invite Louis too," she adds as she returns her focus to the dishes.

"Let's not talk about Louis right now" he chuckles, bringing his lips to her neck and gently trailing her collarbone with kisses.

"Fine, but you should invite him. I'm having a Skype date with Rachel tomorrow you should do it then."

"Alright, alright, if I invite him can we consider this the end of this conversation for now?" he grunts between kisses.

"Yes" she smiles, tilting her head further to the side to give her more access to her neck.

Her words are all he needs to drop his head to her neck and gently tug the skin above her collarbone between his teeth, eliciting a moan from her. She dries her hands on the towel in front of her and brings them up behind her to his head, allowing herself to fall back against him as he continues to kiss down her chest.

.

.

Taking Donna's advice, Harvey made plans to grab drinks with Mike and Louis after work the following day. After reluctantly rolling himself out of bed, he makes his way to the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee and can't help but smirk to himself as images of last night flash through his mind. The way she was wrapped around him while propped up on the kitchen counter. The way her red locks fell over her eyes as he brought her over the edge. Waking up with her in his arms. That last one was his personal favourite. As simple as it seemed, they'd spent nearly every night together since becoming an item and he still had a hard time processing the fact that she would still be there in the morning, wrapped in his arms. It was like one of his wildest dreams coming true; those dreams he forbade himself from having for years, a sudden reality.

She always looked so peaceful lying in his arms, her features soft and relaxed, practically angelic. It was the reason he had such a hard time dragging himself out of bed this morning when he decided to let her sleep in, the look of content on her face matched the content his heart felt. Pouring her a cup of coffee he leaves it on the bed side table and places a small kiss on her forehead before heading to get dressed. He smiles to himself as he splashes his face with water, knowing her need to sleep in is a result of their wild night. God, she never failed to amaze him. One minute she was telling him why she loved him and the next she was suggesting they pull out the whip cream for old time's sake. With each passing day, he grew more aware of the fact that she was it for him.

Tossing a jacket over his shoulder, he tip toes out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her on his way out. As he reaches the door she stirs and mumbles just loud enough for him to hear.

"Have fun at boy's night."

"I'd much rather come home and have fun" he smirks, walking over to the bed and placing a delicate kiss on her lips.

"Nice try mister, you're going to go and have fun."

.

.

As always, Donna was right. Grabbing drinks with Mike and Louis was exactly what he needed. What started off as a quiet night of casual drinks soon turned into reminiscing about a time when the three of them didn't get along and seeing as they all got along now, brought about an assortment of laughs and chuckles.

As the laughter over a story about Louis and Harold dies down, Mike looks over at Louis and clears his throat, "Look Louis, I'm really sorry for what I did back then, with Shelia."

"Water under the bridge" Louis smiles, reaching for his scotch glass and taking a sip.

"We're happy now and that's all that matters. Besides with the baby on the way I've got more to worry about than our petty problems from years ago."

"I guess everything worked out the way it was supposed to, I'm happy for you guys" Mike raises his glass to Louis' and they finish what's left of their beverages.

"I guess it's time for another, Harvey?" Mike calls over to Harvey to see if he needed a refill as well.

Too preoccupied grinning down at his cell phone, Harvey doesn't hear him, so Mike tries again.

"Harvey?"

"What?" his head snaps up when he realizes Mike is calling his name.

"Welcome to the evening, didn't mean to interrupt" Mike mocks, gesturing to the phone he stills has in his hand.

"Calm down. I don't see you ignoring your phone when it goes off" Harvey says, placing his phone down on the table in front of him and reaching for his unfinished drink.

"You haven't looked up from that thing since we got here" Mike points out.

"Leave the poor bastard alone Mike, it's not his fault he's whipped" Louis jumps in with a snicker.

"That's rich coming from you" Harvey fires back, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Louis replies.

"If Shelia called and told you she needed you, you'd be the first one out of here" Harvey points out and all Mike can do is look between him and Louis and wait for the conversation to simmer down.

"That's different and you know it. For starters, Shelia's pregnant so of course I would go. Second, I'm not the one who is so smitten I can't stop sending my girlfriend kissy faces for an hour to enjoy drinks with friends."

Harvey takes a moment before he responds, realizing Louis had a point, he had been fixated on the phone ever since they arrived at the bar.

"I-" he begins but his phone beeps and he reaches for it to silence it.

Sensing the conversation is in need of some lightening Mike jumps in, "Man spends 13 years without her and suddenly can't go five minutes without sending her a kissy face" Mike teases, causing Harvey to look up from his phone and roll his eyes at his former associate.

"Common Mike, give him a break. It's not his fault Donna wear the pants in the relationship" Louis joins in on Mike's snickering.

"He may have been her boss but she's definitely the boss now" Mike laughs and reaches out a hand to high-five Louis.

"Are you two done?" Harvey stares between them with an un-amused smirk gracing his face.

"No" they answer at the same time.

"I bet she gives him performance reviews" Mike giggles, doubling over in his seat as he playfully slaps his knee and loses it at his own joke.

"Alright that's enough!" Harvey cuts them off and they both quit laughing to look at him, a serious look bestowed on his face which only causes them to laugh harder. Eventually, even Harvey can't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation and when the laughter finally dies out, he apologizes to Louis for his comment about Shelia.

"Please, Harvey, you know we're only teasing you because we care. It's nice to see you so loved up" Louis beams at him.

"Please don't ever say loved up again" Harvey replies, motioning for the bar tender to bring over another round.

"What would you prefer I say? Infatuated? Smitten? Taken with?"

"Nothing. I would prefer you don't call it any of those things."

"It is weird you know, to see you so in touch with your feelings. Who knew the tin man had a heart?" Mike chimes in, passing Louis a glass and raising his own so the others can follow suit.

"To the tin man, who knew he had a heart all along" he salutes.

"Ha ha" Harvey mumbles before clinking his glass against Mike and Louis' and taking a long sip of the amber liquid that filled it.

"So, what were you and Donna talking about?" Louis asks.

"Honestly, nothing" Harvey answers, figuring there was no use in making something up when he and Donna really were talking about nothing. She asked him how the night was going, and he told her he missed her. She replied with a flirty comment about making his night even better tomorrow night and he asked her what she was wearing. A random, flirtatious conversation with no point but it still painted a grin on his face, nonetheless.

"Oh shiiiitttt. You were totally sexting her" Mike smirks at his former boss.

"I was what?" Harvey stares back at him.

"Common old man, you know what sexting is."

"I hired an idiot…." Harvey jokingly drops his head into his hands in protest of Mike's childish antics.

"There's no shame in it, Harvey, Shelia and I do it all the time" Louis adds, to which both Harvey and Mike respond with an _oh lord. _

"Speaking of you and Shelia, are there wedding bells in the near future?" Mike asks.

"I think we're going to wait until after the baby comes along, we just never found the right time, you know?"

"I get it. With Rachel and I it was sort of the opposite. We had these big elaborate plans and then suddenly we just knew the time was right and that we should be married here in the city in front of all our friends. I would do it all over again if I could, forget about the crazy fancy plans we made and just stand in front of a room full of people we love promising each other the rest of our lives" Mike says, Harvey and Louis turned to face him where he sits between them.

"What about you Harvey? Ever think about tying the knot?" Louis asks his friend.

"All the time," he admits, stare fixed on the beaten table holding their drinks, "I even have the ring."

"WHAT?!" Louis and Mike cry in unison, Louis nearly doing a real-life spit take with the sip of scotch he'd barely managed to swallow.

"What?" Harvey looks between them innocently, pretending he didn't just drop the fact he bought Donna an engagement ring into the middle of a casual sentence.

"You bought her a ring?" Mike stares back, wide-eyed and wondering.

"Yes" Harvey answers casually, leaning back against his seat.

"When?" Mike adds, and Harvey gets the feelings they're going to be playing 20 questions until Mike has every last detail spelled out for him.

"I bought it after our first date" he admits with a small shrug.

"I'm sorry, you did what!?" Louis finally pipes up and weighs in on the topic.

"Relax Louis, I've known for a while now that Donna was the one and I didn't want to waste another minute when I've wasted nearly a decade already," he begins to explain.

"But Donna is a woman of excellent taste, you can't just pick up the first ring you see for some random proposal!" Louis' face reddens with evident fluster.

"I know that Louis, which is why I bought the ring I know she's wanted ever since she was a little girl, white gold band, princess cut, no halo – it distracts from the main event."

Louis stares back at him shocked, only managing to blink twice, his mouth hanging open.

"She's been by my side for over a decade and you really think I don't know what she likes" he smirks, knowing he's caught Louis off guard with how well he knows Donna.

"And I haven't proposed yet because I can't think of anything special enough…"

"Holy…"

"Shit" Mike finishes Louis' sentence for him.

"You do know what this means right? Your days of sleeping around are over. You'll only ever sleep with one woman again. Want to watch the game? To bad, she's watching a movie. Think you have a relaxing night ahead, think again suddenly she wants to go out." Mike teases, digging his elbow into his friend's side.

"You might be right Mike, except it's Donna. Doing anything with her by my side will be incredible, because she makes it that way."

"Who are you? And what have you done with Harvey Specter?" Mike stares back at Harvey is disbelief. The man who once told him that committing to one woman was a waste of time and was now talking about how he wanted to settle down, it was a sight to see.

"He's the new loved up Harvey, you'll get used to it Mike" Louis smiles.

"What did I just say about using the term loved up?" Harvey responds with a sigh.

"Be less loved up and maybe I wouldn't use it so much…" Louis answers.

The group moves on to discuss a case Mike is currently working on and the latest player acquired by the Yankee's, a conversation that takes place between Mike and Harvey with Louis happily nodding and trying to follow along. Somehow, the conversation switches gears and they end up talking about the day Harvey hired Mike, a total coincidence that changed all their lives for the better.

"What was your first impression of him?" Louis asks Harvey, pointing towards Mike.

"My first impression, this kid is the worst drug dealer I've ever seen, he can't even keep his briefcase full of drugs sealed" which causes the group to laugh, "But seriously, Donna influenced my first impression of him."

"What do you mean?" Mike asks.

"Well I told her to give me a sign when she found another me and she gave me the signal for you."

"So, what you're saying is I have Donna to thank for all of this?"

"Yup, that's exactly what I'm saying. Without her I probably wouldn't have given you a second glance."

"She really had that much sway over you even back then, huh?"

"She's probably had that much sway over him since the moment they met" Louis ribs.

"How did you and Donna meet?" Mike asks, and Harvey sighs before launching into the story about the night the red head stumbled into his life and changed it forever.

.

.

_He was ordering himself a new drink at the bar when the woman who had caught his eye earlier that evening made her way over to him. She made some smart-ass comment about how he didn't finish the drink he was gifted, and he was hooked. She was breathtakingly beautiful, flaming red hair and a face filled with freckles. He forgets what words are for a moment, eyes fixated on the way her dress is hugging her every curve when he finally realizes he doesn't even know her name. _

_"I'm sorry, do we-"_

_"Know each other" she interrupts, finishing his sentence and only peaking his interests further. _

_"Not yet. But today's your lucky day."_

_My god, who was this woman. She was the kind of confident he'd only ever seen in the courtroom while her eyes screamed that she was vulnerable yet courageous. _

_"Not yet. But today's your lucky day" she smiles over at him, turning her body towards him with a flick of her eyelashes. _

_"And why's that?" he asks, doing his best to try and keep his cool while his heart is racing as she steps closer to him. _

_"Because it's the day you get to meet Donna" her eyes glisten as they reflect the bar light and it's in that exchanged glance, he knows he's a goner. He's known this woman for all of 20 seconds and he's already taken with her, something that rarely happens to him even after several dates. _

_"And let me guess, you're Donna?"_

_"You have no idea how Donna I am" she smirks back at him. And he didn't. Little did he know in that moment it would take him years to learn that Donna was a name and a title all rolled into one. He introduces himself and learns that she already knew who he was and wanted to work for him. _

_._

_._

Looking back on it now, he never realized how much his heart sank when she mentioned he she wanted to work for him. Part of him always hoped she'd come up to him because she was interested in him, not because she wanted a job, but he never realized how instantly taken he was with her.

It was something about her, the way she carried herself, the way she flirted with him in the most subtle ways, allowing her hand to linger on his arm as they talked over drinks. The way her hair perfectly framed her face. The way she wasn't afraid to ask for what she wanted. My god. He can't believe he didn't see it before; he wasn't the type to believe in love at first sight, but he fell in love with Donna Paulsen that night he met her in the bar. It wasn't the same way he loved her now, it was slight, but it was there. He first fell for her that night and he continued to fall for her a little bit more every day since. He wasn't always aware of it, but on some days, he knew he'd fallen in leaps. That night at her apartment when he told her he loved her, he fell for her. He fell again when she slipped her fingers between his that night in his office. He knew that over the years he felt himself drawn towards her in those instances, but it wasn't until this very moment that he realized why; that he realized he'd been falling for her all those years.

"Wow, I had no idea" Mike's voice snaps him out of his personal revelation.

"Yeah, me either" he mumbles, still thinking back to that night in the bar. He'd spent so long convincing himself he didn't look at her _that_ way, he never realized he'd been shielding himself from the way he'd always loved her.

"I'm sorry guys but I've got to go" he excuses himself, pushing himself up and out of his chair and tossing a hundred-dollar bill down on the table.

"Where?" Louis calls after him but he's nearly halfway to the door.

"I just, I have to go" he calls over his shoulder.

He sprints out of the bar and flags down a cab, climbing into the back seat in a flustered panic and trying to get his heart rate to slow as he shouts the address at the driver. He doesn't know what he plans on saying, doesn't even know if she'll be home, all he knows is he can't wait a second longer. He was going to ask Donna to marry him because he couldn't waste another day waiting.

His journey from the cab to the door passes in a blur, the elevator seemingly crawling between floors and when he finally reaches his apartment he sprints through the door and rummages through his sock drawer until his fingers find the box he was looking for. Stuffing the ring box in his pocket he's out the door in a flash, fingers fiddling with the key as he tries to lock the door while waiting for the elevator.

Sprinting through the lobby doors he flails his arms and stops a second cab, hopping in and shouting Donna's address at the driver.

He has no time for the elevator and sprints up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He places his hands on his knees as he catches his breath once he reaches her floor before raising his knuckles to knock on the door beside the brass 206.

She opens the door wearing her pajamas to a panting Harvey and steps aside to let him in.

"Harvey what are you doing here? Is everything okay? Why are you out of breath?" she panics, examining him for bruises.

"I'm fine Donna. Everything is fine" he smiles down at her, "Cute pajamas."

"I thought you were going to be out with the boys all night, seriously what are you doing here?"

"I have something to ask you and I realized it couldn't wait," he begins.

"Harvey, you're scaring me…" she looks over at him skeptically as he steps towards her and takes her hands in his.

"While I was out tonight, Mike asked me how we met and it got me to thinking about that night, in the bar."

"Okay-" she looks up at him, her face riddled with confusion.

"I never realized that even that night I was falling for you."

He closes the distance between them a little bit more and peers down at her with nothing but love and adoration pooling in his eyes.

"Harvey" she sighs softly, bringing her hand to caress his cheek.

"I mean it Donna. I may not have known it back then but you had me from the second you marched up to me and said that ridiculous line. You've had me every day since then, even when I didn't know it. It may have been small but it all led up to the way I love you now"

"And how do you love me now?" she looks at him through teary eyes.

"It's all consuming, my love for you. It's like all these years I didn't know I was drowning, and you came along and blew breath into my lungs. It's like-"

"That can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, world series kind of love?" she finishes for him.

He stares back at her for a moment in shock, unsure of how she could so accurately describe the way he was feeling but then again, she was Donna, should it really surprise him?

"How-?"

"I feel it too" she smiles at him, leaning her head forward so her nose rests against his.

"I was going to wait to do this, plan some big romantic thing with roses and the whole nine yards but I don't want to wait another second, let alone another day. I love you, Donna Roberta Paulsen, I always have, and I always will. Will you marry me?" he asks, his own tears beginning to soak his cheeks as he drops to one knee and takes out the small ring box from his jacket pocket, flipping it open to reveal what she once described to him as her dream engagement ring.

"Yes" she mumbles through her tears, dropping down to her knees as he slides the ring on her left hand before taking her face in his hands and pulling her in for a kiss.

"And for the record, I prefer this to some big gesture, this is much more…us" she blubbers as she looks around her hallway from where they're both kneeling on the ground.


End file.
